Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-09-22
pec,uIAR RAILROAD

How 1t Ia Constructed to CIimD Up "a"
Elevation OF $3.50 Feet
If the Rioi railroad is worthy OF be-
ipo considered an extraordinary and
wonderful piece of work. the latest un-
dertakin~ of this kind-the building OF
the railroad on Mount Pilatus-cer--
tainly ought to attract the attention OF
railroad engineers and of the travelling
public. This new road differs essen
tally from its oldest rivals in the con-
struction of its roadbed, as well as the
rolling stock The ruggedness and.
steepness of the mountain, together
with its great height 6,SS2 feet against
1905 in the case of Rigid. offered much.
greater obstacles than the roads pre-.
viously built, and required an entirely
different system
The restless spirit of man is always
clad to set for itself some new task,
and consequently men are found who,
equipped with the necessary capital
were willing and able to carry out this
tremendous undertaking. When a
portion of the road had been completed
all fear in regard to strength and safety
was removed, for it was thoroughly
tested every day, the locomotives 60
ing as often as was necessary TO that
part of the road on which they were at
work, carrying materials of all kinds,
weighing from 10000 to 22,000 pounds.
The southeastern side of the mountain
was chosen for the road, which begins
at Alpnacht-Stad, between the Hotel
Pilatus and the Eagle Hotel Il, 44S feet
above the level of the seal. From there
it climbs in Il northerly direction to the
Aemsigenalp, then westward to the
Mattalp (5,315 feet above the sea), and
after much winding reaches the plateau
of the Hotel Bellevue. on Mount Pila-
tus (6,S11 feet above the sea-.
The road is about two and three
quarter miles long, and the total
height climbed from the shore of Alp
nacht Bay to the Hotel Bellevue is
$500 feet feet. The grade is from 10
to 48 per cent, which is scarcely ex-
ceeded by any rope road. In the mid
die of the line at Alp Aemsigen. there
is switch. Seven thousand two hun
dred and sixty-seven feet of the entire
road consists of straight stretches,
curves, with radii of from 262 feet to
32S feet constituting the remainder.
The road includes yiaduct, three
short tunnels and one long one. The
width of the track is feet inches.
The foundation consists of wall coy
cred with plates of granite and loose
material, and on this the supcrstruc-
ture is firmly anchored.
The toothed bar-which is placed
midway between the rails and is some
what higher than the latter-consist
of soft steel and is provided with a
double row of vertical teeth which are
milled ont of the bar The cogged
wheels on the cars, which engage the
toothed bar, are arranged in pairs ut
the right and left of the same. The
aXles of these cog-wheels are not hori-
zontal with the level of the road, us in
the Rigi system, but perpendicular to
the same, this arrangement making it
impossible for the cog-wheels to be-
come displaced.
The locomotive and cars form a train
with two running aXles and four cog
wheels engaging the toothed bar. The
boiler and engine are behind or below
the cars, which latter accommodate
thirty-two passengers. Brakes can be
applied to all the cog-wheels, and be-
sides this there are two clamps at the
upper running axle which clutches the
head of the rail, thus preventing the
upsetting of the cars by the wind. The
weight of the loaded cars is about 2l,-
600 pounds, and one trip up or down
can be made in about eighty minutes.
The idea of the Pilatus road origin
ated with Edward Locher of the firm
of Locher & Co., in Zurich, under
whose supervision and control the
road has been built. The engine was
invented by Mechanical Engineer Haas,
and Engineer Hensler, who has had
much experience in the construction of
railroads. undertook to act rs the rep
resentative of Messrs. Locher.-UluS-
tTtrte ZeiLung.